The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing…when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off.
Program Description:
The ZCAP Grant Manager – Agriculture Sector project, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and managed by the Gabinete do Desenvolvimento do Compacto-II in Mozambique, aims to enhance agricultural productivity and promote sustainable growth in the Zambezia province. The project involves the management of a results-based grant and technical assistance facility, which will provide support to agricultural aggregators. Over a 5-year period, the project will focus on implementing innovative solutions to improve agricultural value chains, strengthen farmer cooperatives, and increase market access. The selected consultant team will be responsible for overseeing grant disbursements, ensuring compliance with MCC’s environmental, social, and fiduciary standards, and delivering technical assistance to maximize the impact of the grants. This project is a key component of the Promotion of Reforms and Investment in Agriculture (PRIA) initiative, designed to drive inclusive economic development in rural Mozambique.
Position Overview
The Senior Business Development Specialist will be responsible for developing tailored technical assistance packages for aggregators and assisting in the origination and structuring of commercial financial arrangements.
Primary Functions And Responsibilities
- With the support of the Program Director, contribute to defining and executing a strategy for the portfolio objective working with private sector partners, public sector actors, and stakeholders to create sustainable changes to the relevant market systems
- Identify and engage local, third-party service providers – such as private firms, government entities, BDS providers, financial institutions, and educational institutes – to improve and expand services they already provide, and test new services that will support the growth of agribusiness clients, with the assistance of Premier’s co-investment facility (Local Partner Investment Fund – LPIF)
- Working with the other Portfolio Managers identify the advisory services and assistance needs of established agricultural enterprises for their technical assistance plans and use this to inform the strategy of the BDS providers
- In collaboration with third-party service providers develop general technical assistance learning modules for small and transitioning agribusiness segments including those in the middle of the supply chain and those that provide agricultural and technology services
- Attract, select, and engage agribusiness clients, who do not fall under the purview of the other Portfolio Managers, to receive technical assistance including finalizing selection criteria, managing a communication and promotion campaign, launching an expression of interest campaign, and identifying and selecting clients
- Oversee the delivery of technical assistance training modules and after-care support
- Drive monitoring, evaluation, and learning across the portfolio through the collection and analysis of data to measure performance and impact.
Qualifications And Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in business administration, economics, finance or equivalent, including 5 years of experience or a Master’s degree, either Business, Economics, Agriculture, Finance or equivalent, including 3 years of experience in agronomy, rural development, agribusiness or other relevant field.
- Experienced with providing technical assistance to private sector agriculture operators, including on tax matters;
- Experience in due diligence exercises, financial analysis, and structuring of debt transactions;
- Proven prior engagement with Mozambican commercial banks and other financial sector institutions;
- Fluency in English and Portuguese is required
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